In the interests of reducing…

In the interests of reducing gridlock in the City of Toronto, decisions on the introduction and removal of bike lanes should be left to the City itself. Funding should be increased to the City so it can better plan and phase in these changes.

Removing existing bike lanes will lead to additional confusion as drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians get used to yet another change to the roads. Also, many young people in the City rely on bikes since they cannot afford cars. Younger children are being raised to ride safely on bicycles. Their families have chosen not to have cars. This proposal will put these young people at additional risk and also may force their parents to acquire cars and thus increase gridlock.

A better use of time and Provincial and City funding would be to support a better bike lane system and to increase funding to transit so people can again rely on transit and stay out of cars.

Also, it should be noted that gridlock in the City is being caused by the construction needed to maintain city streets and improve transit with such projects as the Eglinton Crosstown and the Ontario Line. No thought seems to have been given to coordinating this construction and the impact it has on drivers.

Thank you for your consideration.